Michael LeMoyne Kennedy was born on February 27, 1958, in Washington, D.C., the sixth of eleven children of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy. He became president of Citizens Energy Corporation, a nonprofit founded by his brother Joseph P. Kennedy II that provided discounted heating oil to low-income families in the northeastern United States, sourcing oil from Venezuela at below-market rates. The program was widely praised as innovative poverty relief.
In 1997, Michael Kennedy became the subject of a major public scandal when it emerged that he had carried on a sexual relationship with the family's teenage babysitter, beginning when she was approximately 14 years old. A Massachusetts grand jury declined to indict him after the young woman did not press charges. The scandal ended his tenure at Citizens Energy and destroyed his public reputation.
On December 31, 1997, Michael Kennedy was skiing at Aspen Mountain in Colorado with family members when he struck a tree while playing "ski football" — tossing a football between skiers at speed. He was transported to Aspen Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 39 years old.
Michael LeMoyne Kennedy is the late child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel. They married Victoria Gifford and had 3 children: Michael Kennedy Jr., Kyle Francis Kennedy, Rory Gifford Kennedy.
Michael Kennedy died on December 31, 1997, in Aspen, Colorado, after striking a tree while skiing. He was playing a game of "ski football" — tossing a football while skiing downhill — when he lost control and collided with a tree at high speed. He was 39 years old.
In 1997, it was reported that Michael Kennedy had engaged in a sexual relationship with the family's teenage babysitter, beginning when she was approximately 14 years old. A Massachusetts grand jury declined to indict him after the young woman did not press charges, but the scandal ended his tenure at Citizens Energy Corporation and severely damaged his reputation.